Jinchuriki
by T'Liana
Summary: Han, jinchuriki to the Five-Tails, travels to Kohonagakure to hide Kokuo from the Akatsuki, where he temporarily seals his tailed beast inside a young girl. Emiko Kobayashi, unaware that she hosts the Five-Tails, isn't quite the same as the same as the other children: she has no interest in becoming a shinobi.
1. The Sealing

My first attempt at introducing an OC in the _Naruto_ world. It's a tailed beast with a twist. Once the story kicks off, review and let me know what you think!

o.O.o

 **Chapter One: The Sealing**

He was a very tall man and clad heavily in Steam Armour. Light brown eyes adorned a dark-skinned face, most of which was hidden underneath a white cloth and a metal mask that covered the lower half of his face. A red straw hat sat securely on his head, its colour matching that of his metal armour. He wore an Iwagakure forehead protector set against a black cloth and a black gi was worn over his armour, with the sleeves seemingly torn off and matching black gloves.

This man's name was Han and he was the jinchuriki of the Village Hidden by Rocks.

He bounded through the thick forests in the Land of Fire, hoping to reach Kohonagakure before dark. Why was the jinchuriki of Iwagakure heading to an opposing state without protection from Stone shinobi? Answer: his mission was secret. He hoped to be gone for only a day at most and that would make explaining so much easier.

Word had gone around about how the Akatsuki were becoming bolder with their strikes. Han had learned from the aged Tsuchikage that the band of rogue shinobi known as Akatsuki were after the jinchuriki to extract the tailed beasts from inside them. Now this jinchuriki was fiercely protective of the powers he received from the Five-Tails sealed inside him and had no desire to share them with Akatsuki scoundrels.

So now he was doing what no other jinchuriki dared to do. He was going to find a young host that he would hide his tailed beast within, where it would lay dormant until he returned to take it back. The wait was what worried him. There was a lot of pressure to find a host that was not threatening or ambitious in any way, as such a host could accidentally tap into the power of the Five-Tails and steal what was rightfully his.

The Village Hidden in the Leaves was a perfect place to hide his creature. It was a quiet village and nothing much had happened since the attack of the Nine-Tails five years ago. Han wondered what had happened to the tailed beast, but no one ever found out.

Towers appeared in the distance and Han slowed considerably. If he was spotted by a shinobi now then his mission would fail. All he needed to do was find a child, decide if they were host material and perform the sealing. Such an act would normally be impossible but it was not Han who had suggested it – his tailed beast had come up with the idea. Han narrowed his eyes at the walls surrounding Kohonagakure came into view. He could see shapes moving around, silhouetted in the sunset, and instinctively avoided them.

Heading further around the wall, he kept his eyes and ears alert for any movements. He came across no one. Not one child was playing in the forest. He stopped on a tree branch, panting, and curled his lip in disappointment.

A small voice reached his ears and he immediately leapt towards it silently. He crouched on a lower tree branch and spotted a small brown-haired girl lying on a patch of soft moss and talking to herself. She was very small with a thin, innocent face. Han smiled.

She was perfect.

He jumped down onto the grass in front of her. She stared at him and squeaked in surprise.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Ryou," he lied. "I am a steam spirit from that volcano." He pointed to the mountain where the Hokage faces were carved.

She giggled. "You're silly! That's not a volcano!"

"It was a volcano many years ago." He wasn't sure if that was the truth, but it sounded believable. "I was one of the shinobi that died hundreds of years ago when it erupted. You should have seen it. There were rocks and lava everywhere! We only just managed to get the women and children out in time." He shook his head. "Not all of us made it."

Her eyes were wide as she fell for every detail. "So you're dead?"

"I am. What's your name?"

"Kobayashi Emiko," she said proudly. "Ryou-san, what's it like to be dead?"

He hesitated. This wasn't going as planned. He had his host and now he needed to be quick about sealing the Five-Tails inside of her. First he had to get her guard down. "Well Emiko-chan, it's very warm for me because I'm a steam spirit. Sometimes it's very loud and other times it's quiet. I come here often and no one ever sees me."

To his relief she relaxed back into her reclined position. "Dead doesn't sound fun."

Now. "I have a gift for you, since you're the first to see me."

"Really?" She sat up, excited.

"Stay there and close your eyes. This will only take a second." He moved closer as she obeyed and knelt beside the girl. Then he whipped her shirt up and slammed his hand against her stomach. " _Eight Trigram Seal!"_

The girl let out a strangled gasp and opened her eyes wide to see a cloud of smoke exit Han and swirl in the air above his head. "Ryou-san!" she cried, struggling against the hand that held her in place. "Ryou-san!"

He shook from the sheer power that coursed through his body, feeling the Five-Tails assisting him in this task. The protective armour around his stomach had burned away to reveal a circular seal. As all the smoke left him, the seal vanished. His hands trembled and he looked up to see the smoke take form of a horse with the head of a dolphin. Then he glanced back at the frightened girl. "You'll remember nothing," he whispered, removing his hand.

The smoke rushed in through her stomach and she was forced back at the impact, slamming against a tree behind her. A matching circle had been burned into her shirt and the seal appeared red and raw on her pale skin. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, steam rising lazily from her body. The seal would disappear after a few minutes as the Five-Tails slipped into his slumber.

Han collapsed with exhaustion. He hoped that the Five-Tails had made the right call, otherwise there would be no way to retrieve the beast from Emiko once the Akatsuki stopped watching the jinchuriki.

With his mission complete, Han turned his back on the unconscious girl and returned to Iwagakure, completely unaware that the sealing had destroyed her mind.


	2. The Test

**Chapter Two: The Test**

Today was a big day for all senior Academy students. It was the day they graduated and became Genin, just as long as they passed the exam. Everyone was nervous but no one would admit it.

Twelve-year-old Emiko laid outstretched on the roof of her two-storey house. She was scrawny for her age and her short brown hair stuck up everywhere without the assistance of any hair products (her many attempts to tame her hair into submission had always failed). Her clothes were baggy – only accentuating her scrawniness – and the t-shirt was dark green, while the pants were tan. She wore the typical shinobi sandals and bandages were wrapped around her knobbly knees to protect them. There were more bandages around her elbows and she'd wound a shorter bandage around her forehead to keep her spiky hair out of her eyes. Dark brown eyes peered out from underneath the headband and were joined by high cheekbones and a pointed chin. Her face had a permanently dreamy expression and her eyes constantly slid out of focus, staring at something that only she could see.

She was a dreamy girl with a short attention-span, constantly caught up in daydreams and imagination. Her mind was rarely in the moment and it often put her behind in her classwork, even if her dreaming went undetected by the senseis.

No one had come up with a viable explanation to her behaviour. According to everyone who'd known her as a very young child, she'd been very energetic and loved to play games. Then one day she'd gone into the forest to play and she'd never been the same. She was never active, her movements were gentle and her mind was permanently scattered. Her attention-span was minimal and she often slipped into little daydreams when other people started talking. It was an embarrassment to her parents Kobayashi Katashi and Kobayashi Mayu: two of the best Jounin in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Even with her affliction she was still expected to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a shinobi as great as them.

"Emiko-chan! It's time to go to class!"

"Coming." She stood slowly and wandered down two flights of stairs to the living room. Her hahaoya, Kobayashi Mayu, stood at the front door with her hands on her hips.

"You better pass your exam today." Mayu looked down at her scrawny, pale daughter. "Your chichi and I are expecting good news for once. We want to welcome another shinobi into the family."

Emiko smiled softly, her eyes slipping out of focus. "I'll do my best."

"You're my daughter. I expect only the best."

"Hai, hahaoya." Emiko blinked to refocus. "Tobio-kun is waiting for me." She walked out the door without glancing back, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach. Her feet slowed when she turned the corner at the end of the street.

Bukiyona Tobio was indeed waiting for her. He leant against the big yellow fence that led straight to the Academy, a bento tucked underneath his arm. When she appeared at the end of the street he stood up straight and smiled.

"Hey Emiko-chan," he greeted. You looking forward to the test today?"

"No," she answered honestly.

"You can fail it on purpose, you know." They both began to stroll down the street, passing by several people going the other way.

"I know." She shrugged. "It's just easier to pass it."

"Easier for you or your parents? As your friend I feel I should tell you that you should be doing what you want, not what your parents want." He smiled at her and she smiled back lazily, her eyes sliding out of focus as was habit.

There was so much pressure to become a shinobi. Anyone who didn't aspire to follow the shinobi path was treated as a lesser being because they chose differently. Emiko wouldn't mind being treated differently if her parents would accept it.

That was the crux of the matter. Her parents were both incredibly popular and skilled Jounin and, as a legacy, she was expected to follow in their footsteps. The only problem was that she had no motivation to become a shinobi. She wasn't fast or strong or brave or super-smart and analytical. She disliked taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu. Why couldn't she be a gardener? Or a farmer? Or something simple? The life of a shinobi wasn't something she wanted and she didn't want to tell her parents the truth. Their reaction was something she feared.

It was tiring trying to please them all the time, especially when they got her bi-annual report card from the Academy. Average marks, average feedback from her classmates and teachers, below-average attitude in class. She could feel their disproving eyes on her whenever such a report came and there was nothing she could do about it, so she just shrugged and continued on. Emiko, like all people, could only succeed in a path she was passionate about and she had no passion for a life of pain and anguish. A peaceful, stress-free existence was what she desired but she wasn't willing to go there if it would hurt her parent's reputation.

They arrived at the Academy and wandered into their classroom, joining the rest of the students at their desks. Emiko took her usual seat and rested her head on her hands tiredly, beginning her usual morning routine of staring out the window and zoning out. Tobio pulled his shoulder-length hair up into a ponytail on the back of his head, where it stuck out at all angles.

There were twenty-five other students in this year's graduating class. Emiko only knew the names of a few of them, despite being in the same class for years: Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke and Yamanaka Ino. She knew the first four because they were always in trouble, the fifth because it's all the girls would talk about, and the sixth because she was the prettiest girl in the Academy. All the students were giggling and joking around, trying to hide their nervousness behind a mask of good humour.

Iruka-sensei, one of the two head Chuunin's for their year, walked through the door and there was a rush to sit down. "Good morning students," he greeted.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei," twenty-seven voices chorused.

"As you all know, today you sit your Genin exam. You will be called into the room next door one-by-one in alphabetical order by your second names. First up is Aburame Shino."

And so it began. The room slowly emptied, with Bukiyona Tobio among the first five to leave. Emiko wished him good luck and turned her gaze to her desk, seeming to try and burn it with a look. The names rolled through her mind and echoed into one cohesive sound that rattled through all corners of her brain. This kind of zoning out was something she'd done for quite a few years. Her parents said it started when she was five for no apparent reason. One afternoon she'd gone to the forest to play and she… changed.

Someone called her name and she blinked as Iruka-sensei clicked his fingers in front of her face. "Emiko-chan, we've talked about this. You have to pay attention."

"Sorry sensei." She stood and ambled after Iruka-sensei to the testing room next door. It was completely bare except for a table with just under a dozen headbands set neatly on top of it. Iruka-sensei took a seat beside Mizuki-sensei, the other head Chuunin. They both smiled warmly at the distant girl but she could read the concern in Iruka-sensei's face. Iruka-sensei had always been concerned about her detached behaviour but there was nothing he could do about it – it was her nature.

"Can you please demonstrate a Clone Jutsu for us?" Iruka-sensei asked politely.

She held her hands together without hesitation, but her voice was shaky. " _Clone Jutsu_."

Three copies of herself filled the room and she lowered her head and hands. She had to do this for her parents. She had to make them proud and allow them to believe that she would one day be a Jounin like them.

Even if she didn't believe it herself.

Mizuki-sensei waved his hand and she willed the copies to disappear. "Very good," he said.

"Come and collect your Genin headband," Iruka-sensei continued.

"And welcome to the beginning of your journey as a shinobi," Mizuki-sensei finished. Emiko approached the table and took a headband slowly, holding it in her hand as she exited the room and moved outside. She didn't want to put it on. Only those who wanted to be a shinobi should put it on.

Once outside she joined Tobio and his hahaoya. Tobio had already tied his headband so the metal plate sat on his forehead and he looked quite pleased with himself.

"I see you're a Genin," she told him, glancing up at his forehead.

"Hai! I am!" he said proudly, drawing himself up to his full height. "I am officially a Genin!" He continued to speak and her mind began to wander, as it always did.

Mayu appeared with a smile gracing her normally shrewd face. "I see you passed the test." She looked at Emiko as if she was a trophy. "Good."

That was all she could expect. Her parents wanted great things from her and they were beginning to doubt that she would deliver, especially with the marks she got in class. Emiko herself had always doubted her ability as a shinobi and in her heart… she knew it wasn't for her. However she was still a child and every child feared disappointing their parents.

As parents and new Genin mingled, Emiko faked her smiles and wished for solitude.


	3. The Genin

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter Three: The Genin**

That afternoon Mayu and Emiko returned to their home in the wealthier part of Kohonagakure. It quickly became clear that Mayu had no intention of giving her daughter attention, so Emiko left the house and retreated into the forest, leaving her forehead protector behind.

Her eyes strayed from person to person as she moved through the afternoon crowds. How many of them were certain of their path? How many had the courage to follow that path or their dreams?

Thoughts ran rampant through her head and she quickly silenced them all, sighing in relief as the shouting receded. That was the problem when she thought too hard. It was like her mind couldn't handle deep thought and screamed for her to stop, so she did. She didn't know what caused it (sometimes she wondered if she was psychotic) but reasoned she'd always been like that, even if everyone else believed differently.

Sometimes she was glad she'd escaped notice at the Academy. She'd kept her head down and most children forgot she was there and completely overlooked her. Very few knew her name. Other times she felt lonely, even with Tobio always at her side.

Tobio… he was her best friend. He liked her weird attitude and laughed whenever she zoned out in the middle of a conversation. They'd been friends since starting at the Academy, just after she'd changed. Tobio was the kind of friend that annoyed the living daylights out of her when she could be bothered paying attention, and made her heart squeeze when he continued to stick with her year after year. He was the one spot of joy in her otherwise confusing life.

Emiko finally reached the forest and delved through the trees gratefully, basking in the silence and solitude. Green and brown became the dominant colours and she finally stopped, sitting with her back against a large oak. Only then did she put her feelings into voice – it was the only way she could vent without fear of her parents finding out.

"I became a Genin today," she murmured to the forest. "I don't want to be a Genin. I don't want to be a shinobi but there's all this pressure. I can _feel_ my parents pushing me to become something I'm not because I'm a Kobayashi. I'm expected to be great like them when I'm not. I'm just little old me."

Her vivid imagination thought up a response from the trees. _"It's okay Emiko-chan. Here, you can be yourself. You don't have to hide with us."_

"They don't understand me. Can't they see that I don't want to be a shinobi? Can't they see that I despise violence? I'm afraid of going to taijutsu class sometimes because I don't enjoy hitting and being hit. Becoming a Genin has only made things worse."

 _"You've always had a choice. You can choose your own path and not worry about expectations."_

"To what end? Would that be… selfish?"

 _"Not at all. Imagine if you do succeed in becoming a shinobi and embark on your first B-rank or C-rank mission. You could be a liability to the mission with your lack of focus, courage and skill."_

"I know I'm not good enough, thanks."

 _"Oh, we're merely stating that your personality type is not suited for the shinobi lifestyle. You're a pacifist, not a fighter."_

She hung her head. "Why can't they see it? Iruka-sensei can see from a mile away, but my own parents are so dense they can't even tell when I'm not listening. They see what they want to see. They don't see that their daughter is a scrawny little thing who can't hold her own in a fight."

 _"It is unlikely that you will change. You can only hope that an opportunity will present itself."_

"You're right." She stared at the trees around her for several seconds before her eyes glazed over. The trees were good listeners and always offered the best advice; it was why she spent so much time alone in the forest. It seemed that solitude was her only way of dealing with things.

o.O.o

When Emiko walked into class two days later she knew something was wrong.

For starters, Uzumaki Naruto was curled up on the floor in the foetal position with almost all the girls in the class beating him to a pulp. Then Uchiha Sasuke looked incredibly shocked, confused and disgusted. Tobio seemed embarrassed about what was happening.

Emiko moved around the screeching girls and sat next to her friend. "What's going on?"

Tobio flushed deep red and laughed uncomfortably. "Well… you see… um… Naruto-kun was crouching on Sasuke-kun's desk and they must have been having a stare-off or something… and I accidentally bumped Naruto-kun and… he, uh… they kissed."

"And now all the girls are annoyed?" she murmured lazily, losing all interest in the conversation.

"Pretty much…"

o.O.o

The class had been sorted into groups of three and Emiko sat in another classroom with two boys she didn't know and a sensei she didn't know. She'd already zoned out of the real world and paid no attention to what the sensei was saying.

"I am Akiyama Yoshi, or Yoshi-sensei to you. What are your names and why do you want to be a shinobi?"

"I'm Oshiro Nori and I want to be the best shinobi in the village!"

"Hi… I'm Kimura Ren and I want to be a shinobi like my older brothers."

Both boys glanced at each other and grinned, as they'd been friends at the Academy. All eyes turned to Emiko, who was still staring out into space. Yoshi-sensei waved his hand in front of her eyes and she didn't react.

"It's okay Yoshi-sensei," Nori sighed. "Emiko-chan does this all the time. She rarely reacts when sensei's call her name in class."

Yoshi-sensei clicked his fingers in front of her eyes and she seemed to stir. "My name's Yoshi-sensei. What's yours?"

"Kobayashi Emiko," the brown-haired girl replied absently, looking at her sensei without even seeing him.

"And why do you want to be a shinobi?"

"I don't."

Her reply was so blunt that Yoshi-sensei frowned deeply. She finally saw him for the first time and took in the Jounin vest, baggy black pants, bandages protecting his arms and legs and a head covered in short black spikes peppered with grey. Her eyes turned to the other boys and saw two brown heads, one red shirt and one purple.

The sensei shook his head and refocused on the conversation. "I'm your sensei for as long as I'm needed. This might be for today, or for years."

"What do you mean 'today'?" Nori asked.

"Only nine of the class will advance to Genin level today. If you fail, you're sent back to the Academy. If you pass, you become a fully-fledged Genin."

"We're so going to pass." Ren grinned confidently. Emiko turned her lazy brown eyes on the boy in the purple shirt and wondered how he could be so confident. Just as she started thinking deeply on the matter, the shouting returned and she hurriedly cleared her mind. She had no idea that Yoshi-sensei was watching her closely.

"Right." Yoshi-sensei clapped his hands together and stood with Nori and Ren hurrying to stand too. Emiko took a few moments to register the movement. "We're heading out to do the test straight away."

"You mean right now?" Ren gaped.

"Hai, right now. Let's go!" Yoshi-sensei charged out the door with his three Genin following.

He took them deep into the forest and Emiko immediately felt at ease. She knew each tree they walked past and would occasionally look up at them and smile. Most of the time she stared at Nori's back and delved into the world of imagination, to a place where she could be herself.

They hadn't been walking for more than ten minutes when Nori whined, "how far is it?"

"You'll know when we get there."

More time passed and Emiko wondered if they were going anywhere at all. Maybe the long walk was their test to see how patient they are. Perhaps there were some Leaf shinobi hiding in wait… waiting for the Genin to walk past. Then the shinobi would attack and see how good their reflexes were.

No, that wasn't what happened. They emerged from the darkness of the trees into a wide open space and this space was a complete mess of objects that, at closer inspection, formed an obstacle course. Emiko glanced over it with little interest.

"This is your test," Yoshi-sensei announced. "The three of you have to complete it within the time limit or you fail."

"What's the time limit?" Ren asked eagerly.

"Ten minutes."

"WHAT?!" Nori stared at the many obstacles in shock. "There's no way we can do that in time!"

Yoshi-sensei sat cross-legged on the ground. "Time's ticking."

Ren yelped. "Let's go!" He and Nori raced to the first obstacle and began to climb up the vertical wall with only a rope to support them. Emiko watched them for several moments before moving forward to stand at the base of the wall. She stared up at the sky. It was a long way to the top and it was unlikely she'd ever make it, given her lack of motivation and unwillingness to enter the shinobi lifestyle.

"You don't want to be a shinobi, do you?"

She turned and glanced at Yoshi-sensei, who was still sitting comfortably on the grassy ground. "No."

"Why is that?"

Reasoning that her attempting the obstacle course would be pointless, she joined Yoshi-sensei on the grass. "I never wanted to be one. I take it you know my parents…"

"Kobayashi Katashi and Kobayashi Mayu. I've never met them but I've heard they're great shinobi."

"Hai, those are my parents." Her gaze swirled with colour and she closed her eyes. "Imagine me telling my parents, super-skilled Jounin, that their only child didn't want to follow in their footsteps. They'd go ballistic and I don't want to disappoint them like that."

"Hm." Yoshi-sensei was a good man. She liked him already. "That's tough. I can't really offer any advice, I'm afraid."

"It's okay. The trees tell me to go with it because anything can happen."

"The trees?"

"Oh, I like to pretend that the trees talk to me. It makes conversation easier." Her head was beginning to fog under the warm morning sun.

"You are one strange child." Yoshi-sensei seemed to sense her tiredness and stopped talking. She curled up on the grass and sleep overtook her without need or urging, so she allowed herself to fall into it, knowing that sleep was better than being conscious anyway.

She was startled awake when Nori and Ren skidded to a stop in front of her and Yoshi-sensei, a little muddy but otherwise fine.

"We're finished," Ren panted.

"Ten minutes and fifteen seconds." Yoshi-sensei shrugged. "You've failed."

"But that's only fifteen seconds!" Nori burst out indignantly. "It's hardly fair!"

"No, I'm not failing you because of that. I'm failing you because you left a teammate behind."

Both boys stared at a sleepy Emiko. "Her?!" they chorused.

"But she's not good at anything!" Ren protested. "She'd slow us down!"

"And that type of thinking is why I'm failing you." Yoshi-sensei stood. "The past hour has shown me that the three of you are completely unworthy to wear that headband yet. My instructions were that _all three_ of you are to complete the course, yet only two of you did. Nori-kun, Ren-kun, you charged ahead without even waiting for Emiko-chan. Good teammates wait for all members of their team, even the ones they don't believe in. Emiko-chan, you chose not to complete the course and I have no choice but to fail you."

"So you're saying that we failed because we didn't work as a team?" Ren was getting upset. "But Nori-kun and I did! It's not our fault that she's not a team player."

"Teamwork means that _everyone_ gets involved in the mission, not just the fastest and strongest members. Shinobi don't leave their team members behind-"

Ren glared at Emiko. "Thanks a lot."

"-And they don't shove the blame on someone else." Yoshi-sensei gave both boys a hard look. "All three of you are returning to the Academy tomorrow along with the other ones that failed."

Nori sighed. "At least we know this for next time." He and Ren retreated into the thick forest trees glumly, disappearing quickly. Emiko watched them go with disinterest, as she couldn't bring herself to care much about them. They were rude and angered easily and she wouldn't want to be in a group with them.

"Thank you Yoshi-sensei," she said softly.

He looked down at her calmly. "You're welcome."

"Can you find your way back home?"

"Hai."

"I'll see you around, Emiko-chan." Yoshi-sensei leapt into the air and was swallowed by the trees.


	4. The Path

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter Four: The Path**

It was dark outside and thousands of stars twinkled in the inky black sky. Emiko lay outstretched and fully-clothed on her bed, staring up at the sky aimlessly, as her mind was otherwise preoccupied with revising the conversation she'd had with Mayu earlier.

She'd come home from the forest when the sun was beginning to set, knowing that Mayu wouldn't be pleased with the news.

"Hello Emiko-chan," Mayu greeted from the living room. "How was your first Genin test? Are you excited to be a fully-fledged Genin?"

Emiko shrugged. "I failed."

Mayu frowned. "You failed? How? Who's your sensei? I can talk to them and make them rethink their decision."

"Its fine, hahaoya. I'm just being sent back to the Academy, no big deal."

"No big deal?! People are going to talk! How could you do something like this to us? How could you be so selfish?" Mayu's disappointment was clear and Emiko was unsettled by it.

The girl sighed and closed her mind away from the memory as her head began to hurt from thinking too hard.

o.O.o

Instead of going to the Academy the next morning, Emiko went to the forest. There were thoughts rebounding through her head that she had to get out into the open, otherwise she could lose what little sanity she had left.

She slipped through the trees agitatedly and only breathed easily when she reached her spot, where she leant against a thick trunk and closed her eyes gratefully.

"I need your help," she murmured, certain to keep her eyes closed.

 _"_ _Are you okay? We'll assist in anyway necessary."_

"I failed my Genin exam and was sent back to the Academy. It shouldn't bother me, but… my hahaoya… she didn't react kindly to the news. I'm starting to feel that nothing I do will ever convince them that I'm a good daughter. I know that I'll never be a good shinobi because I have no wish to be, but my parents seem to think that I have potential. I _don't_."

 _"_ _That's not fair. Maybe you'll lessen the disappointment if you quit now."_

She frowned. "Is that really wise?"

 _"_ _Think of it this way: quit now and you won't regret it. If you keep on the shinobi path you could get hurt real bad because you can't hold your own in a fight. You haven't mastered any Jutsu and you're not strong. Do you really think that you can survive that harsh life? You know what the Chuunin exams are like and you would be destroyed."_

"No strength, confidence or ability. I'm really going far in life."

 _"_ _We're just saying that you aren't meant to fight. You're a pacifist."_

"Hm… that's a nice word. I like that word."

 _"_ _Don't do something you'll regret. Don't quit for yourself; do it for your parents. Then you'll prove that you're not selfish."_

Emiko nodded, finally opening her eyes. "I'll quit for them, so I won't suck as a shinobi and ruin their reputation. Best not to tend the flames of a poor fire after starting it, but rather pour sand over it. Thank you for listening. You always know what to say."

 _"_ _We're the voices of reason you conjure. Of course we know what to say."_

o.O.o

Emiko knocked on Iruka-sensei's office door and he looked up from his paperwork tiredly. It looked like he'd had a few rough nights.

"Come in, Emiko-chan," he said with a soft smile. She sat across from him with heavy eyes. "I assume you're here to quit?"

"Hai, Iruka-sensei. I'm not meant to be a shinobi and I'm not going to put my parents through any more disappointment, so… I'd like to hand in my headband and officially resign from being a Genin." She frowned distractedly. "Were those the right words…? I don't know…"

"They were just fine," Iruka-sensei assured her. "I think you're making the right decision, and I hope you don't take offence when I say that it was very unlikely you'd become a Jounin given your personality."

"Don't worry. I've come to terms with it."

"Yoshi-sensei told me that you'd probably resign." He handed her a form to fill out. "What will you do?"

"I don't know." She blinked to clear her gaze and peered down at the paper as it began to blur. "It depends how my parents react, I guess. Thinking about it crowds my mind."

"We all get that." Iruka-sensei rubbed his face tiredly. "Almost done?"

"Almost." She slowly signed her name at the bottom of the form. "Finished."

He took the paper and glanced over it, nodding in satisfaction. "Everything's in order. Normally we get a parent or guardian to sign the form as well, but I know your parents won't sign, so I'll bend the rules a little and sign it myself." He signed underneath her name. "Is this the first time you've made your own decision?"

"Pretty much, but I'm not doing it for myself." Her vision fogged over as her mind detached itself from the conversation, depositing her into a big hollow space. Iruka-sensei was talking but she couldn't hear him in her own little world.

Until he snapped his fingers and jerked her back to the present. "You do that a lot," he grinned.

"I do. It's something that's always happened."

He hesitated slightly. "I remember when you were a child. You were a lot like Naruto-kun."

"How?"

"You were really energetic and always loved playing outside. Everyone called you an unstoppable force." He frowned. "I don't remember when that changed."

"My hahaoya said that I went out to the forest one day and came back an entirely different person. Trust me, I don't understand it either. But hey, I shouldn't be taking up all your attention right now. I'll go and leave you to your work."

Iruka-sensei nodded as she moved to the door. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, Emiko-chan, I'm available."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei." She exited his office and moved through the corridors for what was hopefully the last time. Upon nearing the front entrance she met Nori and Ren. "Good morning Nori-kun, Ren-kun."

"Morning Emiko-chan," they grumbled.

"I quit today so you don't have to worry about me slowing you down anymore." She moved past them and went outside, feeling a lot better than she had in a long time. Not wanting to face her hahaoya, she retreated to the forest where no one could find her.

Good things had always come from her time in the forest. As far as she was concerned, it was the only place she was free to imagine without anyone else getting in the way. As always, she sat with her back against a thick trunk and rested her head on the tree, closing her eyes.

o.O.o

It was late by the time Emiko finally left the forest, her stomach rumbling. She wandered home as darkness fell and braced herself for the inevitable explosion that was her hahaoya, but, upon entering her home, she saw that her chichi had come back from his mission.

Both parents were sitting on the living room couch as if they'd been waiting for her to return. Mayu gestured to the armchair. "Emiko-chan, sit." She sat. "Your chichi got back this morning and we both agreed that you being sent back to the Academy was unfair, so we went to the Academy supervisors and managed to trade you for one of the other Genin that passed. Your options are the Uzumaki boy or the Hyuga girl. You can pick one and you'll automatically trade places. We would have it done already, but the supervisors were adamant about you choosing who to swap with. So who do you choose?"

Emiko watched the expectant faces of her parents and thought back to the paper she'd signed that morning. "Hahaoya… chichi… I quit the Academy this morning."

They stared. And stared. And stared. Katashi exploded. "We went to all the trouble of pulling strings to make you a Genin, and you _QUIT_?! No! I won't hear this! You are going straight to the Academy and signing back up immediately!"

She blinked. "But I have no interest in becoming a shinobi."

"No interest?" Mayu looked livid. "When you were young that's all you would talk about! We're giving you your dream!"

"I don't remember ever having that dream." Why couldn't they accept her wishes?

"It doesn't matter. I'm not having you disrespect us in our house, so you're going to the Academy right this second." Katashi threw up his hands. "I expected to come home and find that my daughter was a Genin, not that she'd _quit_. You're a disgrace to the Kobayashi name."

Katashi continued to rant but Emiko's mind retreated as it always did. His mouth moved but she didn't hear anything. It was a strange sensation but one she was used to after years of zoning out during class and whenever people ranted to her. At times like this it was fantastic.

Her hahaoya saw the blank expression and grabbed Emiko's shoulders roughly. "Don't you do this to us! We're not dealing with this any longer! I'm taking you to the doctors to get you fixed."

Emiko jerked away. "The doctors?" she asked in a small voice.

"Hai. This has gone too far and there has to be something we can do."

"But hahaoya… you can't change my nature. Can't you accept that I don't want to fight?"

"No." Katashi moved as far away from her as possible. "I can't believe that you're my daughter."

Without speaking, Emiko stood and walked back out the front door.

"Oh no, you come back here!" Mayu shouted, chasing after her daughter. She caught up to Emiko's slow pace easily and grabbed her arm, dragging her back. "You're going to the doctors and that's final. I'm not accepting you as you are."

"I'm not going to the doctors. You can't make me. If you can't handle me as your daughter, let me go. If you don't want to support me on another career path then let me go right now because I'm not going to be a shinobi. Ever."

"I can't believe that out of all the children in the village… we were landed with you." Mayu let go and stalked back to the front door, slamming it shut.

Emiko stood on the deserted street numbly, staring at the ground. She knew that she should've been upset about the confrontation but she wasn't. Not one bit. She felt no guilt or regret about being pushed away by her parents. She just felt… nothing. Her feet moved of their own accord and she wandered up the streets to the only place she had left – Tobio's house.

It was late and all the lights were off so she didn't knock on the door. Instead she curled up on the doorstep and fell into an uneasy, dreamless sleep; a sleep that was broken the next morning by someone opening the front door.

The door hit her spine and she groaned at the impact and rolled onto the stony ground. "Emiko-chan!" Tobio crouched down beside her. "What happened?"

She gave herself a moment to wake up and remember why she was sleeping on Tobio's doorstep. "I told my parents that I quit the Academy and they said they didn't want anything to do to me. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Tobio held out his hand. "Come inside. We'll clean you up and get you some breakfast."

She accepted his hand and followed him into his house, where his hahaoya was writing her shopping list. "Did you forget the… Emiko-chan! You look terrible! Come and sit!" Bukiyona-san tapped one of the stools and Emiko sat. "Tobio-kun, you should get to class. I'll take care of Emiko-chan."

"Okay hahaoya." He eyed his friend. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, but I don't know about my parents. They're really mad."

He petted her hand. "It'll be okay. I'll see you when I get back. Bye hahaoya!" With that, he was out the door.

o.O.o

Bukiyona-san ran a bath for Emiko and went out shopping while Emiko bathed and dressed in some of Tobio's clothes. She spent the day lying on Tobio's bed and staring at the ceiling aimlessly, waiting for him to come home. Sleep overtook her during those hours and she saw something very strange.

There was a creature. It primarily resembled a pure white horse but the head contained an elongated dolphin snout that made it seem like the creature was either grimacing or smiling. Four pointed horns extended from the neck; the two in front shorter than the two behind. The ends of the horns, hooves and… tail _s_ … were a light brown and there were red markings underneath its slanted dark blue-green eyes. Five tails extended from the place where only one should be and looked as dangerous as whips.

A single word echoed through her subconscious: _"Jinchuriki."_

"Emiko-chan? I'm home."

She was startled awake and fell off Tobio's bed unceremoniously. "Hi."

"That's unlike you. I never scare you awake." Tobio chuckled and sat beside her fallen form. "Bad dream? You were muttering something."

"Jinchuriki," she whispered.

Tobio stiffened. "You shouldn't say that word. It's forbidden."

"Huh?" She shook her head to clear it. "I just heard it in my dream. Is that forbidden?"

He fidgeted. "You were there when we studied it in class." He sighed. "What am I saying? You probably zoned out. We did a class on how dangerous they were and how we should avoid them because jinchuriki are beings of extraordinary power."

Emiko's eyes were growing heavy. "Uh huh?"

"We shouldn't talk about them."

"Got it. No jinchu-whatsis." She rested her head on the floor and sighed. "How was class?"

He shrugged. "It's not like you care."

"I'm trying to," she admitted. "You're all I've got."

"Aw thanks!" He ruffled her unruly brown hair and grinned. "It was boring. We revised the Clone Jutsu and got given a paper on this taijutsu form. At least I don't have to help you this time!"

"Hey, don't rub it in." Tobio had always helped her with her written assignments because she had trouble with reading and writing.

"At least I know you listened."

"Don't get used to it. I'm about to go…"

As she retreated into her small world, Tobio wandered to his desk and got to work on the paper. His soft muttering lulled her into a restful doze and her mind was blissfully silent and free from all worry and uncertainty. The freedom was intoxicating and she welcomed the emptiness like an old friend.

Bukiyona-san entered the room when dinner was ready and saw that both children were fast asleep – Emiko on the floor and Tobio resting against his desk. "Dinner's ready," she called softly.

They both stirred and followed her to the kitchen bench, where three bowls of steaming rice mixed with cabbage lay. Emiko and Tobio slid onto two of the four kitchen stools and grabbed their chopsticks.

"So Emiko-chan, how long are you staying?" Bukiyona-san asked.

"I don't know. I don't see my parents forgiving me anytime soon so… a while."

Bukiyona-san shifted uncomfortably as she sat beside Tobio. "I'm sure you're aware, but we're not the richest of people. We may not be able to afford it."

"I'll do whatever I can to earn my keep." Emiko looked at Tobio's hahaoya with lazy eyes. "You're a washerwoman and that's my ideal job."

The woman smiled. "Welcome to the family."


	5. The Dream

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter Five: The Dream**

She knew immediately that she was dreaming. Her gaze circulated around one spot of light with darkness swirling around the edges of her vision. Everything seemed focused on a faded figure in the centre of the dream. The edges were fuzzy but she could still make out a white body, though not what kind of body it was.

Her limbs refused to move and she was stuck in place, staring at the blurry shape. It also seemed frozen, but then it twitched and five shapes detached themselves from what looked to be the back end.

 _"_ _Kokuo."_

What was that name? Why did it make her pulse race? She tried to move closer to the shape so she could ask, but…

"Kokuo?"

Emiko bolted upright on the mattress, panicking slightly. She stared at the wall and waited for her eyes to glaze over, feeling relief when they did. It was just a dream. Why did a dream have her so nervous? It was just a dream… right?

Tobio stirred on his own bed and rolled to face her, opening his eyes blearily. "Talking in your sleep again?"

"I guess so." Over the last two months Emiko had taken to murmuring words like 'jinchuriki', 'five' and 'beast' in her sleep. This was the first time she'd said 'Kokuo' and the word fed her curiosity. All previous dreams had been glimpses and flashes of a large white creature but this dream was different.

"You should tell someone. Hahaoya would listen and she might even have something to help you sleep easier." Tobio sat up in bed and rubbed his bare stomach hungrily. "No point going back to sleep now. I wonder what's for breakfast."

Emiko sat up too and ran her fingers through her tousled brown hair. "I'll try and make something. Bukiyona-san got home late last night, remember?"

"Right. The Academy parents' meeting. I'll give you a hand." He climbed out of bed, clad only in his underwear, and dug around his wardrobe for pants and a shirt. Emiko stared into space until a grey shirt wrapped around her face.

"Thanks for that," she muttered, grabbing the shirt and pulling it over her head. She dragged herself to her feet and ambled to the kitchen, taking care to move quietly. It was humid in the kitchen and she wandered to the pantry. What could they have… there were uncooked rice balls, noodles, oats, vegetables, dried beef…?

"Those rice balls look good," Tobio said, coming up behind her. "I'll get the pot boiling."

Emiko extracted two from the pantry and sat at the kitchen bench, resting her head in her hands. Her gaze burned into the wall opposite as Tobio set a pot of water to boil and patiently waited.

The creature flashed in her vision and she blinked, shaking her head to dispel the image. A sense of foreboding rose within her belly and she felt a sudden surge of annoyance at her stupid subconscious for giving her those weird dreams. They were creepy and always made her head hurt. Whatever that creature was, it was haunting her.

Jinchuriki. Five. Kokuo. It was all linked and she didn't know how, but with her current condition there was no chance of figuring _it_ out. Ten seconds of thinking deeply and she was gone.

"Have you ever tried ramen before?" Tobio asked suddenly.

"No. Hahaoya said it would make me fat." She looked down at her scrawny form and snickered. "I don't see that happening."

"If anything you need to put on weight," he joked. "Seriously, Iruka-sensei told me about this great ramen shop on the other side of town. We should go and you can try some ramen!"

"Is it good?"

"No food is good enough for you because you barely taste it."

"True." She hesitated. Thinking was never her strong point and she figured things out better by talking about it. "I need to get something off my chest."

"Like what?"

"We're not supposed to talk about it but… it's that jinchuriki word."

"It's forbidden," he conceded, but his expression said otherwise. "You can talk to me if something's bothering you. You don't need to go to the trees again." He'd been dealing with her weird habit for the last two months so it was only fair that she made up for it.

"Those dreams I have… I keep on seeing a white shape and I think it's an animal called Kokuo. You heard of it?"

"Not as far as I know." He tapped his fingers against the kitchen bench. "Maybe I can ask Iruka-sensei today, or go to the village archive and do some digging."

She shook her head. "This is my question. I'll come with you."

"Back to the Academy? That might give a few people the wrong idea."

"I don't care. I need to figure this out or it'll drive me crazier. You have no idea how frustrating it is to have a mind like mine."

"I'm glad I don't." The water was boiled and Tobio dropped two rice balls into the pot. "You have such a complicated life."

"Don't remind me."

o.O.o

It was strange to stand in front of the Academy again after two months of staying away. With Tobio at her side, Emiko ambled through the front entrance and made a beeline for Iruka-sensei's office. The pair knocked and entered where they were greeted by Iruka-sensei's smiling face.

"Emiko-chan, it's wonderful to see you again. Tobio-kun, is everything alright?"

"Emiko-chan has a question." He stepped aside and the Chuunin turned his attention to the brown-haired girl.

"What do you need?" he asked. "Is it something about the Chuunin exam finals next week?"

"No. What's a jinchuriki?"

Iruka-sensei visibly stiffened and his eyes flicked to the door. "That's not a question you should be asking."

"I know. For the past couple months I've been having these dreams about a white creature and the words 'jinchuriki', 'five' and 'Kokuo' keep popping up. It's scaring me and I want to know why."

He seemed nervous. "What I say cannot leave this room, okay?"

"Hai sensei," the children chorused.

"Before the founding of the hidden villages, during an era of war between mankind, there was a Shinju tree that bore one fruit every thousand years. The consumption of this fruit was forbidden but one princess ate it and was granted power that she used to end the wars. She had two sons soon after that inherited the Chakra of the Shinju tree and she was angry, so she merged with the tree and became the Ten-Tails. The Ten-Tails destroyed everything in its path until the two sons defeated it, with one son becoming its jinchuriki."

"But what's a jinchuriki?"

"I'm getting to that. The son that became a jinchuriki separated the Ten-Tails' Chakra within his body and divided it into nine pieces, creating nine different tailed beasts and naming them all: Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki and Kurama. These beasts parted ways and joined with nine shinobi to keep their powers in check."

"So… jinchuriki are people that have tailed beasts inside them?" It was starting to make sense, but thinking about it too much hurt her head.

"That's right. The name you heard, Kokuo, is the Five-Tails, although I'm not sure why you'd know anything about the tailed beasts. I distinctly remember you not paying attention in that class."

She nodded slowly as her gaze fogged over. "Thank you sensei. I owe you. Maybe now I can make sense of my dreams; they have to mean something." She stood and moved slowly to the door, running into the wall to the left of it. Tobio was immediately at her side and held her elbow to help her out of the office.

Iruka-sensei watched them go curiously. "I wonder if the Five-Tails is in danger…"

Emiko blinked to clear her gaze and turned to look at Tobio. He was watching her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"My vision lucked out for a moment. I'm good now." She gently extracted her elbow.

"Your condition's getting worse."

"Hey, I was able to hold a conversation for ten minutes at least."

"At the expense of your eyesight. I'm worried about you." Wide eyes suited him very well.

"Tobio-kun, I'll be fine. I need to sort out this mystery first." She sighed. "Classes should start soon. I'll see you later."

He grabbed her shoulder as she went to leave. "Promise we'll go out for ramen later. We need to talk about this."

"Okay." She smiled distractedly and ambled from the Academy with Tobio staring after her worriedly. Her feet automatically led her towards the forest but she felt no inclination to talk to the trees. There didn't seem to be any reason for her dreams and she suspected this was one mystery she'd never figure out.

Once in the solitude of the forest, she wandered to her usual spot and sat on the soft moss with her back against a thick trunk. Now alone, her mind was thankfully clear and she closed her eyes to welcome the darkness.

The dream was the same this time, only the creature's edges were slightly more defined. If she focused really hard she could see four legs and five tails. This time the creature was moving sluggishly through her limited field of vision and she tried to call out to it, but no avail.

 _"_ _Do not wake me."_

But why? She struggled against the invisible bonds that held her in place and tried her hardest to call out to the creature but her voice refused to cooperate. Why couldn't she talk? Was there some foreign power that held her at bay so she wouldn't wake this creature?

Her eyes slowly opened and she cursed inwardly. Now she was no closer to getting answers than she'd been ten minutes ago.

o.O.o

Han entered the Tsuchikage's office and knelt at the desk, head bowed. "You wished to see me, Tsuchikage-sama."

"Indeed." The old man rubbed his face. "My operatives in Sunagakure have unearthed a strange development between Sand and that new village, Otogakure. Apparently an understanding has been created between both villages that is aimed towards the Chuunin exams."

"The finals are being held next week. We have no shinobi that made it through the preliminaries."

"That is correct. I only bring up the subject because the finals are being held in Kohonagakure and we both know that is where you've hidden your tailed beast."

Han's chest tightened. "This isn't good news."

"It's not. The Chuunin finals will undoubtedly attract the attention of the Akatsuki and they may learn of your deception. Also, there is greater risk of discovery with so many senior shinobi converging in one place. It may be wise to retrieve your tailed beast before it's discovered. What was the name of the host you chose?"

"Kobayashi Emiko. I won't have difficulty finding her."

The Tsuchikage adopted the most serious expression he could manage. "I sense trouble brewing. You must retrieve that beast without anyone learning of your presence. These exams are just what we need for the Akatsuki to turn their attention elsewhere."

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama."


	6. The Awakening

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter Six: The Awakening**

Emiko nudged the dirty clothes around the pot with the long wooden pole and watched as Bukiyona-san scrubbed more clothes clean in a bucket filled with warm soapy water. When she judged the clothes had soaked enough, she hung the heavy garments on the washing-line and handed the empty pot to Bukiyona-san.

"Tobio-kun is taking me out for ramen since I haven't had any," she murmured.

"That's very sweet of him. I'll give you money for a bowl each." Bukiyona-san sighed as she scrubbed a red stain from a white dress shirt. "I wish I had more money for you both. That way I could get tickets for the Chuunin finals."

"Tobio-kun would want to go. I don't." Emiko shrugged. "But I would go if he really wanted me to. You don't have to spend anything extra on him just because I'm here. I'm not a guest."

"As you keep reminding me." Bukiyona-san blew some stray black hair from her face. "You'll take care of him, won't you?"

Emiko turned her distracted gaze to the woman. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"No, I just see how he spends so much time taking care of me that he needs someone else to take care of him. You're his best friend and you can be there for him when I can't."

She hesitated. "I'll do my best but… I can't promise anything when I'm like this. I can't do jutsu or fight to save my life…"

"But you have his trust and he has yours. That's the most I can ask for him." Bukiyona-san smiled. "You're like a daughter to me and a sister to him."

Something pulsed in Emiko's belly but she pushed the feeling aside. "I'm honoured, thank you." She suddenly felt breathless and unsettled at the feelings coursing through her right now, almost as if something important was happening.

Tobio appeared at the back door, grinning. "Hey hahaoya! Hey Emiko-chan! Are you ready for ramen?"

"Hold up!" Bukiyona-san ran inside and came back with a few precious coins cradled in her hands. "This is to pay. It's all I can spare, I'm sorry."

"That's okay hahaoya! You can come with us next time." Tobio smiled easily and embraced his hahaoya. Emiko turned her eyes away from the sight.

"Off you two go. Don't stay out really late."

"Hai hahaoya."

"Hai Bukiyona-san."

The two children left the house and wandered the streets, Tobio chatting while Emiko zoned away from the world and into her own little pool of emptiness. He took no notice of her inattention and she liked how he tolerated her… issues.

They reached the place Ramen Ichiraku and sat at the counter, Emiko noting that there were no other customers as it wasn't dinnertime yet.

"What'll you have?" Tobio asked, sliding over a menu. She stared as the words faded and moulded into a big blob of ink.

"Whatever you're having."

"We'll have two miso ramen," Tobio said politely to the girl behind the counter. She smiled charmingly and moved to the kitchen to join the ramen chef in completing their order. Tobio looked at his friend. "So did you figure anything out?"

Emiko's mind flicked back to her latest dream. "No. I don't know… it doesn't make much sense. This is too hard." She pressed her knuckled against her temples and groaned. "We have more questions than answers and I'm starting to feel really weird, like _really_ weird. Unlike myself." She closed her eyes to assist in the sliding-out-of-focus.

"If it's worrying you this much then stop," Tobio said firmly. He looked up as their ramen was presented. "Food's here."

Emiko gingerly opened one eye and stared at the bowl of steaming noodles. It did smell good… She lowered her hands and picked up the chopsticks, lowering her head to help with slurping up the noodles. She blinked. "It's good."

"That's great!" Tobio laughed and eagerly tucked into his own ramen. For a short while the only sound was them eating. Emiko's attention was everywhere but in the present and nothing could penetrate her blissful silence until she felt the sudden urge to be sick.

She only had a second to gasp before her consciousness clouded.

This time her vision was clear. She saw a hulking white horse with five tails and the face of a dolphin. It stared at her with dark blue-green eyes and she stared back, completely in awe of the power emanating from this being.

 _"_ _You have woken me and placed us both in danger."_

But I didn't mean to! She wanted to shout and understand but she couldn't. Her mind and body were completely frozen.

 _"_ _Here are the answers you seek."_

Memories and feelings coursed through her body. The face of a little girl flashed through her mind and, with some shock, she realised that that little girl was _her_. She saw a big man wearing strange armour approach and attack her and she saw a steamy shape exit his body and enter hers. She felt her mind snap with the pressure and retreat deep inside to protect her life. She realised that this steamy shape had damaged her mind beyond repair and it had slumbered inside her for years… hiding from something.

With wide eyes, she understood that this creature was Kokuo, the Five-Tails, and he had been sealed inside her years ago.

Power coursed through her body and engulfed her in blinding white light. She wanted to scream but couldn't. The only thing she could see were the dark eyes of the Five-Tails before it disappeared.

She woke, gasping, and flailed about on the stony ground outside the ramen shop. Tobio was leaning over her with a shocked expression on his face and she stared at him with an equally shocked expression.

"Tobio-kun…" she whispered. "I'm a jinchuriki."

He swallowed. "That explains everything…"

"What do you mean?"

He looked inside the ramen shop and asked the girl behind the counter for a mirror. She obliged and he handed the mirror to Emiko.

She stared. And stared. And stared. Her hair wasn't brown and unruly anymore, but pure white and stuck straight in the air to defy gravity. Her eyes had changed from dark brown to dark blue-green… the exact same shade as the Five-Tails…

"What happened?"

"You passed out onto the ground and started groaning then glowing and this happened. Are you okay?"

"I… I…" She couldn't believe that the Five-Tails was inside her. Everything she'd learned indicated that they were beings of massive power and honestly, it scared her.

Dozens of shinobi suddenly appeared around them with kunai at the ready and both children shrunk away instinctively. "We sensed a massive power surge in this area," one of them said. "What was it?"

Emiko spotted a familiar face. "Yoshi-sensei!"

Her sensei for a day looked at her blankly before recognition dawned on his face. "Emiko-chan. What happened?"

"I don't know…" She fumbled to grasp Tobio's hand and he squeezed hers tight.

One shinobi leapt out of the ranks and pressed a kunai to the terrified girl's throat. "Jinchuriki!" she spat. Immediately the other shinobi raised their kunai and Emiko squeaked in fright and scrambled into Tobio's lap. Having dozens of weapons pointed at her did wonders for her confidence.

The shinobi that had spoken first stepped forward. "We need both of you to come with us to the Hokage tower, _now_."

Tobio let go of her hand. "I don't think so. _Transportation Jutsu!_ "

When the smoke cleared, Emiko found they were sprawled on the grass outside the village wall. Tobio lay beside her, unconscious, and she shook him roughly. "Tobio-kun! Wake up!"

He opened one eye blearily. "I got us out. Now you can get away before they catch you."

She shook her head. "You're coming with me! I promised Bukiyona-san I would watch out for you!" She draped Tobio's arm over her shoulder and stood shakily, his weight almost completely crushing her. Then a strange power surged through her limbs and she began to run as fast as she could – faster than she'd ever run before. The Five-Tails was lending her its powers.

o.O.o

Han, rightful jinchuriki of the Five-Tails, arrived at Kohonagakure six days before the Chuunin exam finals began. He could easily see more people milling around then when he first arrived because this time it was the middle of the day.

His eyes stared out from underneath his Steam Armour, watching small figures in the distance from his vantage point far above the Hokage faces. One of these figures was the girl that contained his tailed beast and he needed to find her as quickly as possible without being detected.

The next few hours were spent circling the village through the forest to find a nice, secluded spot where he could call his beast in peace. When he found the spot he knelt to the ground and used his Chakra to create a beacon that the Five-Tails would sense. He needed his tailed beast to come back – they'd spent enough time hiding.

As the hours passed he knew that something was wrong. The Five-Tails wasn't in the village. He began to worry, wondering where his tailed beast could possibly be, and took advantage of the bond made between him and the Five-Tails. His Chakra seeped from his body and circled the land in seconds, locating the beast inside a village hospital quite a while away. Something was very wrong with that.

Han stood and followed his Chakra to where his tailed beast was hiding.


	7. The End

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter Seven: The End**

The doctor looked down at the small figure sitting on one of the hospital chairs. "Your friend will be fine. He just needs to rest."

"What happened to him?" Emiko asked, swinging her legs slightly.

"He used too much of his Chakra and that could have killed him. I would caution against Chakra usage for the next few days. Do you have a place to sleep?"

"No," Emiko admitted. "I was hoping there would be a chair or something beside his bed."

"You may sleep there."

Emiko stood and followed the doctor through the sterilised hospital corridors to the room Tobio shared with three other unconscious people. She immediately sat beside his bed and was glad that the Five-Tails had given her the strength to get him here, even if it had exhausted her. Tobio had used up all his Chakra to help her escape the scary shinobi and this was the least she could to for him.

Hopefully the shinobi wouldn't find them there. If so, they'd have to make a quick escape. Her vision fogged over from the constant use over the last few hours and her mind retreated to preserve itself as it had been doing for the last several years.

o.O.o

Tobio woke in the middle of the night, groaning at his sore muscles. Emiko was quick to press a damp towel to his forehead and he turned his gaze to her.

"What happened?"

"You used up all your Chakra with that jutsu," she whispered. "I took you to a hospital."

He groaned. "Are they still after us?"

"I don't know. I can't use Chakra like you." She hesitated before deciding to tell him something she'd learned from the Tailed-Beast. "Without Kokuo inside me I have no Chakra. All the jutsu I've ever done have been done with Chakra I stole from him."

He propped himself up on his elbows. "So you couldn't be a shinobi no matter what happened." To her surprise he started to stand. "Where are my clothes? We need to get out of here before they find us."

"You should rest."

"If they're looking for us then they'll find us in a place like this. We need to lay low. I'm the one at the Academy, remember? I've studied things like this. If they ask around about us people will remember your hair. Now where are my clothes?"

Emiko hesitated before extracting his washed clothes from the bedside table drawer. Tobio took the clothes and peeled off the hospital garb, proceeding to get dressed while Emiko watched the door. When he was finished they snuck outside into the darkened hospital corridors and tried to make as little noise as possible. Emiko began to panic when she felt her eyes sliding out of focus and body slowing.

"Tobio-kun…" she murmured. He grabbed her elbow and led her along while her attention wandered like it always did. She'd never hated her condition more than she did right now since it was more of a hindrance than a help.

When she stirred from her temporary inattention she found herself outside with Tobio still grasping her elbow. The village she'd found was a decent size and seemed very quiet which was good for them.

"Where do we go from here?" Tobio whispered, the doubt clear in his voice.

"Iwagakure," Emiko replied. "That's where Kokuo's original jinchuriki is and he can reverse this."

Tobio cursed. "We need a map. This place has to have an archive."

Something strange stirred in Emiko's gut. "Tobio-kun, I feel weird…" Her feet began to move without urging and she squeaked with fright as her pace quickened. Tobio cried out in alarm and rushed after her, limping slightly. She was easy enough to follow with her pale white hair that stuck about half-a-metre into the air.

"Hahaoya told us not to stay out late," Tobio muttered. "She's going to kill us."

They moved a good distance away from the village before Emiko stopped, her heart pounding. Tobio almost crashed into her back but stopped himself in time. "Tobio-kun…" she said in a small voice. "Why did it have to be me?"

"Because I chose you." A deep voice boomed from within the surrounding shadows. Emiko's eyes darted uneasily to the trees around them and she stepped back, colliding with Tobio.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly. A figure stepped out from the shadows, looking like something from a nightmare. She couldn't quite make out the details but he was insanely huge and made her feel miniscule.

"I am Han and I have come for the Five-Tails."

Fear pulsed in Emiko's belly and she felt Tobio slip his hand into her own. "Are you going to kill us?"

"If I must."

"Tobio-kun, go away."

"No. I'm sticking with you." He moved to stand beside her.

"A valiant effort, boy, but it's not enough." Han flicked his hand and Tobio flew into the air where he was pinned to a nearby tree by kunai that embedded themselves in his clothes. He tried to pull them out but the angle was awkward and he couldn't get a good grip.

Emiko took a deep breath. "Do what you have to, but don't hurt Tobio-kun or Kokuo. It's not their fault." When had she become so brave? She'd _never_ been brave, not once in her entire life, except when she quit the Academy… but even that wasn't bravery; it was selfishness.

Tobio had always been there for her. His family took her in when she had nowhere else to go and he'd been her best friend for years. He'd listened to her and tolerated her when other people like Nori and Ren shunned her. Just yesterday he'd nearly killed himself to protect her and now she'd dragged him into problems that weren't his own. It was her turn to keep him safe and apologise.

Han let out a low growl and stepped right into her personal space, pressing his hand against her stomach. "Five-Tails, I beseech your help. _Eight Trigram Reverse Seal_!"

"Emiko-chan!"

Every emotion Emiko had felt in the last few months melted away to be replaced by calm acceptance. She knew she wasn't meant to carry Kokuo like Han – she was a hiding spot and nothing more. Han's purpose was to carry Kokuo so who was she to get in the way of his path? So much of her life had been spent following a path she wasn't meant for but now… her purpose was to help the Five-Tails.

Power surged through her body and she allowed it to flow. Kokuo's face appeared in front of her own and tenderly leaned in, pressing his nose against hers. She stared as the power swirled and light exited her body. The shape of the Five-Tails appeared between her and Han, bowing to her before being sucked into Han's stomach.

Both Han and Emiko fell to their knees, though Emiko completely face-planted. Han took a shaky breath and rested a hand on his stomach, where a strange seal now rested. "The sealing is done and the Five-Tails has left you a gift. Do not misuse it." With that, he leapt into the trees and went back to Iwagakure, content that Kokuo was safe.

Emiko dragged herself to her feet and stumbled over to where Tobio was struggling against the kunai. He'd managed to rip his left arm free and was tugging at the kunai that held his right arm in place.

"It's done," she murmured wearily. "You're safe. This is the last time I drag you into my problems."

"I still can't believe you've been a jinchuriki for your whole life. Can you give me a hand?"

She used all her strength to try and pry the kunai from his left leg but it didn't work. Her strength was minimal. "What do you think he meant by a gift?"

"Well your hair's still white and your eyes are that weird blue colour, so that could be it. I'll bet it was a thank you gift, seeing as you protected Kokuo for years without even realising it." He groaned and slumped back against the tree. "I'll just take my clothes off. That's so not embarrassing at all…"

A shape appeared to Emiko's left and she cried out in alarm, catapulting backwards and hitting the ground hard.

"Emiko-chan, it's me," the shape said with some amusement.

"Yoshi-sensei!" she gasped. "Can you please help me remove the kunai?"

With Yoshi-sensei's strength all the kunai were gone in seconds and Tobio jumped away from the tree gratefully. "Are you taking is back to Kohonagakure?" the boy asked warily.

"I must. Emiko-chan possesses the Chakra of the Five-Tails and we need to figure out how."

"I don't anymore. Kokuo is gone." She stood up proudly and moved beside Tobio. "His original jinchuriki came to get him back. What was his name?" Emiko frowned but she couldn't for the life of her remember the man's name. "I don't remember."

"Neither. That's weird."

"A memory modifier jutsu," Yoshi-sensei muttered. He looked at Emiko, eyes softening fondly. "That's fine. Now since you don't have the Five-Tails you're in no danger, so would you both like to accompany me back to the village?"

"That would be nice, just as long as they leave Tobio-kun alone. He had nothing to do with it."

"Alright. Wait just a moment." Yoshi-sensei extracted a scroll from his vest and unrolled it, slicing his thumb on one of the kunai that he'd pulled from the tree. He slammed his hand into the ground beside the scroll and cried, " _Summoning Jutsu_!"

A huge lizard appeared and Tobio and Emiko leapt back in shock at the sheer size of it. "What is that?" Tobio asked.

"It's our ride. Hop on!" Yoshi-sensei climbed onto its back and Tobio and Emiko clambered after him, holding on tight as the lizard leapt through the trees in a series of leaps and bounds.

"Sensei, how did you find us?" Emiko asked, her arms tight around his waist.

"I followed the Chakra of the Five-Tails," Yoshi-sensei admitted. "It took a while and a lot of focus, but I tracked you to that village."

"I had to get Tobio-kun to a hospital. He was hurt."

"I'll be fine," Tobio grumbled, resting his head against Emiko's back.

All throughout the trip back Emiko stared into space and thought deeply about everything that had happened. Everything had been beyond her control and she'd done the best she could, even at the expense of her own well-being. She would gladly have sacrificed herself to keep Tobio safe and he would do the same for her.

It was only when they reached Kohonagakure that she realised the impact of her thoughts. She'd thought deeply… and her mind hadn't retreated within itself. Feeling slightly confused, she moved her eyes to Yoshi-sensei's back and stared as hard as she could awaiting the inevitable sliding-out-of-focus.

It never came.

The lizard reached the Kohonagakure walls and Yoshi-sensei climbed off with Emiko in his arms. He placed her on the ground and held out his arms to catch Tobio and place him beside the girl. Yoshi-sensei laid a hand on the lizard's head and smiled as the lizard puffed away in a cloud of smoke.

"Stay here," he ordered. "I'll go ahead and explain the situation." He smiled at them. "I knew there was something tough about you, Emiko-chan, and you too Tobio-kun. You're good kids. We need more loyalty and trust like yours." With that, he walked towards the gates whistling a mellow tune.

Emiko watched him go. "Do you think he's right?"

"I think maybe our friendship inspired him." Tobio smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm a lot better. And you? Do you need rest?"

"I'll be fine when we get home."

"Tobio-kun…"

"Hai?"

"I'm not zoning out anymore. My mind's staying in the present and not retreating like it used to." She gasped. "Is that what Kokuo's gift is? Did he change me back?"

"We'll have to wait and see." Tobio reached out and took her hand, smiling despite his weary face and tattered clothes. "Let's just get home, okay?"

She sighed and leant into him. "Tobio-kun, you're my best friend."

"And you, Emiko-chan, are mine, but don't get all sappy and make declarations of eternal devotion."

Giggling, she looked over at where Yoshi-sensei was entering the gates to Kohona. Maybe now she wouldn't have to talk to the trees to make sense of everything. Now she had a family and people who cared for her – Tobio, Bukiyona-san, Yoshi-sensei and Iruka-sensei. Sure, she had no Chakra of her own and her hair looked freaky, but that was part of who she was.

 _"_ _Thank you Kokuo,"_ she murmured. _"You making me your jinchuriki made all this possible."_ The pain and suffering was worth it because she'd never been happier.

o.O.o

 _Owari_


End file.
